Home favourite Mark Webber says he 'can't wait to get started' when he returns to action at next weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

"This will be my eleventh Australian GP and I can't wait to get started," said Webber. "The Grand Prix is one of the best sporting events that we have in Australia. It's great to see the support and Australian flags in the crowd. I've incorporated more of an Australian theme into my helmet, which I'll be using for the whole year, not just in Australia."

Webber has never triumphed before on home soil but after a solid build-up from his Red Bull Racing team in pre-season testing, the Australian is in a confident frame of mind.

"It's been an extremely intense few months for the whole team and it's incredible when you count up how many sleep-deprived hours have gone in to preparing the car as best we can - from pit stops to reliability to driver comfort in the cockpit - you name it, we've always been looking to improve. There's always a huge amount of interest in the first race; this year is no different and there's no better place to have it than Australia."

Ominously for the competition, Webber's team-mate and favourite to make it a hat-trick of titles, Sebastian Vettel, is also confident the team has made a step forward going into Melbourne.

"Testing has been busy over the last few weeks and I think we have made a decent step with the car," said Vettel. "You never really know where you are until we get to Melbourne and even then you don't really see what everyone has got until qualifying - so I'm looking forward to getting started."